In the past 17 days I visited 10 different villages in Uttar Pradesh India. Located along the Ganges plain in northern India near the Nepal border, the state is home to some of the poorest people in the world. To put in perspective more people live on $1 per day in Uttar Pradesh than in the 25 poorest African nations combined. Below are some my photos, and visit the full gallery for more.
Most of the homes I visited were 1, maybe 2 rooms. A few shelves, a weaved "bed" and maybe a light bulb or two. The lucky ones, had mosquito nets to protect the families from malaria at night. Note that when you start to develop a head cold and you are sitting in a village where the "fever" and the "maleria" are going around. It never feels good. But these people live in this enviroment everyday.
The biggest challenge in this area of India is sanitation. Trash and animal manure is everywhere.
Manure has a critical role in life in these villages. It is used to clean the homes and as fuel. Here is the manure drying in the sun for cooking later that week.
Water is life in the villages, and most of these villages were lucky and had wells in the town, with some even having them inside the home.
All of the villages have elected leaders. Here I sit and talk with the male leaders, who typically gathered in a central area each evening.
Many of the kids were shy at first, but there are more kids than you could count. 
Putting on a Juggling Show helps to open them up...
Then they let me in the marble game...
Candy always helps too..
